Best Wines for Papa John's, Domino's, and 6 Other Chain Pizzas

Order a pie from your favorite pizza joint and enjoy it with these wines

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Wine and pizza is a match made in heaven.

Pizza and wine are natural best friends. Both have layers of flavors and smells. Tomato sauce, cheese, herbs, and toppings are traditional Italian flavors, and wine is the standard beverage at the Italian table, so it’s a no-brainer that wine would be welcome at any pizza dinner. But when you’ve got varying degrees of sweetness of sauce, creaminess of cheese, spiciness of toppings, and thickness of crust, deciding exactly which wine to drink with your favorite chain pie can be difficult.

Some chains, like CiCi’s, opt for a simple cheese blend — in their case, mozzarella and zesty muenster cheese. Other chains, like Papa John’s, go all out and top their pies with many different kinds of cheese. Just as you can expect certain flavors from these chains, you can expect certain flavors from specific wines. Fruit-forward zinfandel is happiest when paired with anything to do with meat. And since Pizza Hut is famous for the meat lover’s pie, this is a match made in pizza-pairing heaven.

Ditto for the traditional flavors that Sbarro aims for in their recipes. Table reds like Montepulciano are great for their menu options. If you’re stockpiling your pie with meaty toppings, choose a full-bodied wine to match up to the heft.

Want to stock up on some varietals for your next Seamless binge (don't expect to find much of a wine list at the pizza shops themselves)? We’ve got you covered.